Back when Fang Yuan had chosen the Crash Gu and the Ram Gu as his movement Gu, he had already considered the situation at the Fourth Transformation stage.
The Crash Gu and the Ram Gu were the two primary materials needed to refine the Crash-Through Gu.
Using these two Third Transformation Gu as the main body, supplemented by the Gu Master's own True Essence and various auxiliary materials, one could refine the Crash-Through Gu.
The refinement process for the Crash-Through Gu was not particularly difficult.
Fang Yuan had made thorough preparations, and the secret recipe itself had a high success rate.
Two days later, Fang Yuan completed the refinement successfully, obtaining a brand-new Gu — the Crash-Through Gu.
The Crash Gu and the Ram Gu each had a charge distance of only one hundred steps.
The Crash-Through Gu, born from their fusion, expanded this charge distance to two hundred steps. At the same time, the interval between two consecutive activations was reduced to half of the original.
However, the True Essence consumption did increase slightly.
Of course, this minor drawback was nothing to Fang Yuan, who possessed the Nine-Eyed Wine Worm and the Heavenly Origin Treasure Lotus.
"Counting what I have on hand now, I already have six Fourth Transformation Gu. They are the Hard Labor Gu, the Crash-Through Gu, the Yang Gu from the Yin-Yang Body Swap Gu, the Nine-Eyed Wine Worm, the Effort Gu, and the Blood Skull Gu."
"The rest — the All-Out Gu, the Strength Gu, the Metal Spirit Gu, and so on — are all Third Transformation Gu. They're gradually falling short of my needs."
The majority of the Gu in Fang Yuan's possession were still Third Transformation Gu. Fang Yuan was now at the Initial Stage of the Fourth Transformation, wielding Middle Stage bright gold True Essence, so these Gu were becoming increasingly ill-suited…
Of course, it wasn't simply a matter of the higher a Gu's Transformation stage, the better.
Take the Flesh and Bone Reunion Gu, for instance. It was only Third Transformation, but this level of Transformation allowed more Gu Masters to use it, which actually enhanced its value.
Still, by and large, a Gu's Transformation stage and its Gu Master's needed to align — ideally matching — for them to work together handily.
Fang Yuan ran through the calculations. The number of Gu he needed to upgrade was quite substantial.
First and foremost was the All-Out Gu.
The All-Out Gu he held was only Third Transformation, capable of manifesting a Third Transformation beast-force phantom. To refine and upgrade it, he would need the Hundred Battles Unyielding Gu from the Three Kings' Inheritance. That would have to wait.
The Strength Gu was also Third Transformation, but without a relevant secret recipe, Fang Yuan could not advance it further.
The Third Transformation Metal Spirit Gu — Fang Yuan planned to refine it to the Fourth Transformation, turning it into the Golden Bell Shield Gu.
The Third Transformation Doushuai used for storage could be upgraded to the Fourth Transformation Doushuai Lamp Gu.
The Self-Reliance Gu was also Third Transformation, but it had already reached its ceiling with no available recipe for further upgrades. However, even at Third Transformation, as long as the force Fang Yuan channeled through it was powerful enough, its healing effect could rival a Fourth Transformation healing Gu.
The Flesh and Bone Reunion Gu was in the same situation as the Self-Reliance Gu.
The Breath Concealment Gu used for concealment assistance was also Third Transformation. While it could be upgraded further, Fang Yuan decided to shelve it for now. At this stage, he had no need to conceal his presence.
And the Heavenly Origin Treasure Lotus was also Third Transformation.
Fang Yuan already held the secret recipe for refining the Fourth Transformation Heavenly Origin Treasure Lord Lotus. However, he needed to acquire several Origin Springs to complete the refinement. That was a monumental undertaking, so Fang Yuan had to set it aside for the time being.
By this count, Fang Yuan only needed to refine four Gu — the All-Out Gu, the Metal Spirit Gu, the Doushuai, and the Heavenly Origin Treasure Lotus.
But in truth, it wasn't so simple.
Fang Yuan had previously used the Iron Bone Gu, the Steel Tendon Gu, and the Copper Skin Gu to modify his own body. All of these were Third Transformation Gu. In a battle between Fourth Transformation Gu Masters, their defensive effects were barely adequate.
Furthermore, the Eight Great Beast Phantoms on Fang Yuan's body did not originate from Fourth Transformation Strength Gu. All of these needed to be upgraded and replaced.
"The Eight Great Beast Phantoms on me are all from ordinary beasts. Only by replacing them one by one with a Taotie Force Phantom, a Mastiff Force Phantom, and so on can I unleash the strongest combat power at the Fourth Transformation level."
Fang Yuan had once been very interested in the Taotie Force Gu inside Xue Sansi's Empty Orifice.
But Xue Sansi had been blasted apart into a smear of gore, and all the Gu she carried were destroyed.
Fang Yuan's fighting style was simply too brutal. He had a habit of reducing his enemies to paste.
While this was a hallmark trait of Strength-path Gu Masters, the method was so overwhelmingly violent that after a battle concluded, it was rare for any Gu to survive intact.
Fang Yuan had defeated three Fourth Transformation Demonic Path Gu Masters in succession, yet his only salvage was a single Effort Gu.
Even that Effort Gu had only been obtained because Fei Li had surrendered and offered it up.
In general, Gu Masters acquired new Gu through buying and trading, cultivating or capturing them, or through refinement and reverse refinement.
Very few Gu Masters ever harvested Gu from their spoils of war.
First, a Gu Master's methods were eerie and dangerous. Once a battle erupted, both sides went all out. For the sake of self-preservation, no one held back — and in such circumstances, the Gu themselves were collateral damage, often destroyed.
Second, destroying one's own Gu was especially easy. A single thought could cause a Gu to self-destruct.
"To upgrade all of these… the road is long and arduous." Fang Yuan sighed and walked out of the cave.
Bai Ningbing was already standing at the cave entrance, gazing up at the summit, waiting for him.
Fang Yuan followed her gaze and looked upward.
On the three highest peaks of Triple Saber Mountain, three enormous pillars of light soared skyward, piercing straight through the clouds. The spectacle was awe-inspiring, as though they were pillars holding up heaven and earth.
The Three Kings' Inheritance had opened.